Game apparatus.



K. OKAIVIOTO.

GAME-APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.10. 1915.

Patented June 22, 1915. i

11v VENTOR, Kenkami @kmmo ATTORNEY .llli

l llumtiig KENKICHI O t.

tMOTU, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CWORNIA,

GE APPAATUS.

inmost.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22,1ll9ll5.

Application filed April 10, new. area No. 20,443.

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, :KENKICHIV'GKAMOTO, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the'following is a specification.

lhe object of the present invention is to provide a game apparatus in which much skill can beexercised and in which the results of the skill will visibly appear in a pleasing manner.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved game apparatus; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof; Fig. '3 is a perspective view of a frame; Fig. '4 is a perspective view of a card; Fig. is a broken plan view of a modification of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a board upon which is secured a circular frame 2, having thereon a circular runway 3 around a central support d for a lamp 5 and surrounded by a low wall or fence 6. In said runway are a' number, here shown as ten, of holes 7. Extending tagentially to, and at a higher level than, said runway is a channel 8 extending from a tube 9 with .which, at a point near its outer end, communicates a supply channel 11 inclined downwardly toward the tube and in which are a series of balls l2, said balls being,

' however, normally prevented from passing hid from said channel 11 t the tube 9 by a plunger 13 normally pressed into a position to block up the passage from; said channel into said tube bya spring 141:, compressed between said plunger and the outer end of thetube, and coiled around a stem 16,.se-

cured to said plunger and passing through a hole in said outer end having thereon, outside said tube, a handle 17 by which the plunger can be withdrawn against the pressure of said spring;

When the plunger has been so withdrawna ball will rdllinto said tube so as to. be in front of the plunger and then, upon releasing the plunger, the ballwill be projected in the tube and troughand discharged into the circular runway and'will travel around said runway a distance which will depend upon the force of the spring, and therefore upon the extent to which the plunger has" been withdrawn rearwardly. V llhe bottom of the circular runway slopes player reaches a certain amount.

downward from both sides toward the center so that the balls, when not held against the wall 6 bycentrifugal force, roll down toward the central portion of the runway and eventually come to rest in one or the other of the holes or pockets 7 therein. When a ball so rests in a pocket, it depresses a contact 18 into contact'with a contact 19. Said pairs of contacts 18 and 19, one for each pocket, arerespectively in electrical circuits 20 through lamps 21 in compartments 22 of a frame 23, the tops of which compartments are closed by, a glass plate 24: to the under side of which plateare secured, in the several compartments, the backs of playing cards 26, so that the symbols on said cards are directed downwardly. Thus, ordinarily, the cards will notbe visible through the glass plate, but, when a ball drops into a pocket, the card corresponding to said pocket and the lampoorresponding to which is in the same circuit as the contacts l8 and 19 immediately beneath said pocket, will be visible, being illuminated by said lamp.

Said cards are preferably in two series and are of difierent value in each series. 'lhus the cards may be of different colors, as red and green, and numbered from one to five, or they may be in difi'erent suits, as spades and diamonds and may be the five lowest cards or the five highest cards of the suit. The card having the highest value will be in a compartment the lampof which is electrically connected with the contacts below the pocket which, as found by ex= perience, is the most dificult to fill with a. ball, and in like manner, the cards will be arran ed so that their value corresponds with t e dimculty of filling the corresponding holes with a ball. The object of the game is .to place the five balls in the ten pockets in'such a manner as to secure the combination of cards which counts the highest. two players are playing, and the highestcard thatis illuminated bythe play offone of them is a king or queen and former should illuminate two queens or two kings and of the latter only an ace, then the former wins. A score may be kept of the number of wins by each player andthe game may be determined when the score of e ther In the modification of the invention shown 'balls are now projected by hand. A supply channel 28 is now located centrally between the two dischargechannels. In this form v of the invention,in order to cause a ball to rest in a pocket which is farthest from the channels27, two balls may be started in the two channels 27 at the same time,- so that they may impinge upon each other opposite to said-last-named pocket. Should it be desired to fill any particular side pocket which is needed, a ballmay be started on one side within a definite length of time after a ball has been startedvon the opposite side, so that they will impinge upon each other at such-a point as to give the greatest possible chance of one ofthe bolts' dropping into the desired pocket. I

j It Wlll be seen that the above-described apparatus provides for a great degree of skill and at the same time displays the result of said skill in a very striking and pleasing manner.

I cla1m:- i

1. A game apparatus com rising a. run

way. having therein a series 0 pockets, balls,

the resting of balls in the several pockets,

playing cards, and means for supporting saidcards so that the symbols thereon are visible only when illuminated by said lamps.

2. A game apparatus having a series of pockets, balls, electric lamps, electrical circuits for the several lamps arranged to be closed by the resting of balls in the several po'ckets, playing cards, and means for supporting said cards so that the symbols thereon arevisible only when illuminated by said lamps.

3. A game apparatus having a series of pockets, balls, playing cards corresponding to the several pockets, electric lamps for illuminating said cards and means for closing a circuit through said lamps.

. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

KENKICHI OKAMOTO. 

